BOLTON West MP Ruth Kelly will make her first speech as Education Secretary at a conference in Manchester tonight.

Mother-of-four Ms Kelly, 36, took over the country's top education job last month as part of the Cabinet reshuffle prompted by David Blunkett's resignation as Home Secretary.

And today she will give the first speech since her appointment at the North of England Education Conference, at the University of Manchester's centre for educational leadership.

Director of the centre Brendan Murden, who has organised the conference is delighted that Manchester will host Ms Kelly's first speech as Education Secretary.

Mr Murden said: "Traditionally, this is the time the Secretary of State makes an announcement for the year and it sets the tone for education. This has got to be one of the most significant speeches in the past five years. It's very good to have a local MP involved at such a high level."

Minister

The new Education Secretary was first elected to the Bolton West seat in 1997. Between 1998 and 2001 she worked as parliamentary private secretary for Nick Brown, then moved to the Treasury as financial secretary.

She later became minister for the Cabinet Office. As Secretary of State for Education and Skills she is now the youngest member of the Cabinet.

The North of England Education Conference is an annual event, which began in Manchester 102 years ago.

The over-riding theme of the 2005 conference - which is the first major conference to be hosted by the newly merged university - is "leading together."

Speakers will include Ralph Tabberer, chief executive of the Teacher Training Agency, and the chair of the General Teaching Council, Judy Moorhouse. The conference is due to be attended by 600 teachers, headteachers, local education authority officials and councillors.

Mr Murden said: "We are trying to get people to look differently at leadership and how we are going to bring about step changes in the public sector."